Protecting Her(89)

Garret’s not smiling back. He’s just watching me, tears falling down his face. “Don’t go, Mom. Please.”

My own tears start falling, so I hug him so he won’t see them. “Honey, you’re making this very hard. It’s just a couple days.”

“Rachel, are you ready?” Pearce appears with our suitcase.

I let go of Garret and stand up. Pearce sees the tears on my face, and then on Garret’s.

“What’s going on?” he asks in a concerned tone.

“Garret doesn’t want us to go,” I tell him.

Pearce leans down to Garret. “Why don’t you want us to go?”

He sniffles. “I just don’t.”

“We’ve gone away before and you’ve been okay.”

He shakes his head. “I haven’t been okay. I didn’t like it. I don’t like it when you go.”

Pearce hugs him. “And we don’t like leaving you. But this event is just for adults. You’d be bored. You’ll have much more fun here at home with your grandmother.” Pearce pulls back and looks at Garret. “We’ll call you as soon as we get there. And we’ll call you tomorrow. Several times. And on Monday.”

Pearce’s words don’t help. Garret gazes down at the floor.

When Pearce stands up, I whisper in his ear, “Maybe I should just stay here.”

He whispers back. “We have plans. Anniversary plans.”

I look at Garret again. “Honey, your dad and I need to get to the airport.”

He nods, his eyes still on the floor.

I hug him. “I love you, sweetie.”

“I love you too,” he says quietly, his voice shaky.

Eleanor comes back downstairs. We tell her goodbye, then Pearce and I head out to the car.

“I don’t know why he’s so upset,” I say to Pearce, wiping my eyes with a tissue. I’ve been crying the entire way to the airport.

“He just isn’t used to not having you around. You’re always with him, and when you’re not, he misses you.” Pearce smiles and takes my hand. “I miss you too when you’re not around.”

I sniffle. “I hope he’ll be okay.”

“He’ll be fine. I told my mother to watch a movie with him tonight. You know how he loves movies. That’ll keep his mind off of us.”

“Yeah. I guess.” I take some breaths and end my crying as we approach the airport.

I’m still thinking about Garret when we’re on the plane. It’s a short flight to DC, and as soon as we land I call him. He says Eleanor took him for ice cream and now he’s watching a cartoon. He sounds better, not as sad.





The next day, Pearce and I spend the morning in bed, enjoying some alone time.

“Happy Anniversary,” Pearce says, kissing me.

“Happy Anniversary.” I smile and stretch out over the luxuriously soft sheets. My body is still in a blissful state of warmth and pleasure from what Pearce and I just did.

He captures me in his arms and nuzzles my neck. “I love you even more than I did twelve years ago.”

I smile and run my finger down his chest. “Did you ever think this wouldn’t work out since we only dated a few months before getting married?”

“Never. I knew right away you were the one.”

“I felt the same way about you.” I sigh. “And now I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

His lips touch my ear and I hear his deep voice, “I bet I could make you even happier.”

He does. And then we order room service. Pearce booked us a suite at the best hotel in DC. Both the room and the food are incredible.

After a leisurely breakfast, we spend the afternoon touring the Smithsonian. Pearce knows how much I love museums, so he doesn’t rush me. He lets me take my time, wandering through the exhibits, but I can’t take too long because the fundraiser is at seven. It’s a dinner and dance at a hotel in DC, a different hotel than the one we’re staying at.

It’s a black tie event, so Pearce is wearing a tuxedo and I’m wearing a royal blue evening gown. We arrive in a limo. Everyone else arrives in one too. I haven’t been to an event this exclusive before. The guest list includes a lot of well-known people. When we walk in the ballroom, I see several celebrities and some politicians I’ve seen on the news.

Senator Paul Wingate, the guest of honor, approaches us as soon as he sees us.